Astro-Tech 12mm 1.25" Paradigm Dual ED

$65.00

Availability: In stock

This Astro-Tech 12mm Paradigm Dual ED medium power eyepiece has outstanding performance at a price that will make you wonder why other good quality eyepieces cost so much more . . .
Our Product #: ATPARA12
 

Product Description

This medium focal length Astro-Tech 12mm Paradigm Dual ED eyepiece is usable with any telescope type, under virtually any seeing conditions - from fair to superb. (Rain, snow, or fog might limit its usefulness, however.)

With a short focal length refractor it is a low power eyepiece. With the 430mm focal length Astro-Tech AT72ED, for example, its six lens/four group multicoated dual ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optics provide 36x and a field over three times as wide as the full Moon. This is well suited for observing globular clusters such as M13 and M22. Both fit nicely into its 1.67° field with the AT72ED, with a framework of black sky around the clusters to set them off. Its sharpness and lack of astigmatism across the field make globular clusters sharp, vivid, and nearly three-dimensional.

It is also quite remarkable for medium high magnification observing with long focal length refractors, reflectors, or catadioptric scopes. On an 8" f/10 catadioptric, for example, it yields 167x. This is an excellent magnification for planetary and close-up lunar observing, particularly when the high contrast of the eyepiece (rivaling that of orthoscopics and Brandons) is combined with its excellent color fidelity. Its overall performance makes it a much better choice as a second eyepiece than merely doubling the power of most scopes' so-so standard 25-26mm eyepiece with a Barlow.

The six lens/four group design and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements of the 12mm Astro-Tech Paradigm provides all of the optical virtues described at the top of this catalog page - high contrast, a sharp and flat field from edge to edge, excellent color fidelity, and exceptionally low astigmatism and barrel distortion. It has a usable eye relief of 13mm, very good for an eyepiece in this focal length range. Combined with the twist-up eyecup design, the long eye relief makes it a good choice for eyeglass wearers.

This new Astro-Tech 12mm Paradigm Dual ED eyepiece will make you drastically revise your expectations upwards when it comes to how much optical excellence you can get for such a reasonable price.

Tech Details

Barrel Size 1.25"
Eye Relief 13mm
Field of view 60
Focal Length 12mm
Number of optical elements 6
Weight 6.4 oz.
Warranty 1 year

Reviews

Review by:
This eyepiece in my 6" f/5 scope without a coma corrector gave my finest views of the Sun and Moon that I have had in years. There is some pincushion distortion and is wide enough of a view to have coma present in the lateral field. Much better behaved when using a coma corrector at f5.5 (Posted on 9/4/2021)
Review by:
I doubt you will find a better eyepiece anywhere near this price. It has a flat field, excellent color correction, high contrast and suitable eye relief when used with my f/6 to f/9 APO refractors. I like this 12mm so well I just ordered a companion 25mm ! (Posted on 2/29/2020)
Review by:
A quality eyepiece line that doesn't hurt the wallet. I love this eyepiece coupled with my 102 and my C8. Bright, crisp, clear. Pin point stars. Saturn is a lovely jewel in this glass. Thanks for offering these. (Posted on 9/14/2019)
Review by:
I bought these for use in my William Optics binoviewer. They are a great value for the price. The eyepiece eye cups are wide enough that there's not much room left for my nose between them but it's doable. (Posted on 9/12/2019)
Review by:
Good quality and especially for the money. Great for when you are letting the public see through your gear at an outreach. There will always be some dimwit or kid or dimwitted kid who will put their greasy finger on your eyepiece no matter how many times you ask not to do that. Because, that's what they do. So make sure you don't put out your 300 to 800 dollar eyepieces in that situation. These are 90% or so of the performance, especially for an untrained observer, so they won't turn any budding Galileo's off the hobby, and you won't need blood pressure meds or a shrink. (Posted on 9/10/2019)
Review by:
Performed great on planets and the moon. Very sharp image and did not notice distortion of any kind. (Posted on 9/5/2019)
Review by:
These are great in this price range. I had multiple binoviewer pairs in various focal lengths for a while. They don't hold up to some of the better offerings from Televue/Pentax/etc, but they certainly beat the competition at this price point! (Posted on 7/22/2019)
Review by:
I have a complete set of Paradigms, and often choose to observe with them over other, more expensive EPs that I own. This 12mm EP is the one find myself using most. It seems to hit a sweet spot with my telescope (100mm F9 ED refractor) and typical targets (moon, planets). No complaints, lots of happy observing with this one. At the price, you just can't go wrong with this. (Posted on 1/14/2019)
Review by:
I wanted a little more power than the WO25's that came with my WO binoviewers so I purchased two of these EP's. They are great for binoviewing planets and the moon. Very dark, silky contrast and good colors. I like the elevated eyecups, generous relief and low cost. (Posted on 1/10/2019)
Review by:
I cannot say enough good things about it - sharp views with great contrast. Yesterday I had a "minimal EP set" viewing session with my 100ED under suburban light pollution (orange zone) using this 12mm and a 20mm ES68 - mainly viewing open clusters but also some doubles. Seeing was below average so wasn't expecting to go above 100x mag on this night. The only thing missing from the view through this eyepiece when compared with my 13mm Nagler type 6 was the added field of view of the Nagler. Of course this was in an f9 scope, so with fast optics it may or may not keep up, but this will have to be tested on a different night. The eyepiece has a good feel and build quality, and the twist-up eyecup is convenient to use. Field stop is sharp. A total steal at $60. Now planning to buy 8mm and a 5mm Paradigms as well, to keep in the case with the 100ED for grab and go. Highly recommended! (Posted on 1/1/2019)
Review by:
I can't say anything negative about these eyepieces; for the price they are pretty impossible to beat. They are also sold by Agena Astroproducts under a different name (Starguider Dual ED) but they are the exact same eyepiece and the pretty much the same price. The 12mm is one of my favorites for viewing planets and the moon in my f11 Achro. and my f9 Apo. refractors. They have fairly good color correction for an EP in this price range, and a nice flat field in slow, long focal length scopes all the way out to the edge. I've had reliably tack-sharp views of Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and the moon with the 12mm, and have been able to see an impressive amount of surface details. They easily perform as well as other EP's which cost twice as much or more. I would put them right up there in the same ballpark with Baader classic orthos for planetary viewing. Don't hesitate to buy these, you won't be disappointed! (Posted on 12/20/2018)
Review by:
I really appreciate the flat field of view, which is consistent throughout - something I see many other "name brand" eyepieces struggle with. Very clear views as well. A solid bargain - and great looking to boot! (Posted on 11/18/2018)
Review by:
This is part of a series of eyepieces that totally rock. I started with the 25, 12 and 5. Both the 25 and 12 are my most used eyepieces, as they team well together. The 5 is usually too much magnification for the bad atmosphere where I'm at, but when it's right, the views are amazing(esp planetary). The 12 gives great views of what I'm looking at and the whole series rivals $200+ eyepieces. (Posted on 10/8/2018)
Review by:
The Paradigm Dual ED 12mm is an excellent eyepiece. Clear sharp image with excellent contrast. Definitely an upgrade from my Plossl ep's. Lagoon Nebula was outstanding in this eyepiece. Telescope used was a 100mm f/6 refractor. Highly recommend this Paradigm eyepiece to anyone who wants to upgrade on a budget. I will be getting the whole set. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
I bought one to test in my 8", f/7 Newt and the image was so sharp, with excellent contrast, that I tried it on another, smaller f/6 scope. Same results. I now own 5 different FL Paradigms and they are my "Go-To" eyepieces in all scopes of f/6 or longer. The edge sharpness is as good as center-of-field and the 60* AFOV is a big plus in any Dob. Eye relief on all Paradigms is good so I can avoid spending big $$ on expensive LER eyepieces.

I have "Big-Brand" eyepieces of $200+ each, and still prefer the Paradigms. The price is WAY under what you get in performance. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
Very nice eyepieces for the money! If you're looking for something inexpensive, but good quality, I think these are just right. The optics seem very good, the FOV is fine for most uses and the adjustable eye cup is a nice touch. I use these and the 82 degree ES eyepieces most and while the ES have a larger FOV and are nicer in some ways, these don't give up much for being so much less expensive. Nothing about them feels cheap. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
Excellent eyepiece. Flat field of view edge to edge. Twist up adjustable eyecup is a nice feature. Performed great on planets as well as DSO's. background was dark even in my light polluted viewing location (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
Decent build quality and comfortable to look through. Sharp and clear views all for $60.00....a very good deal! (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
(Posted on 8/4/2017)
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